A/N: Hurrah, normal service has resumed! The Doctor will be gracing us with his presence. Stupid song contest, what a load rot!Why they bother putting it on a main telly channel is beyond me, it's always pretty dire. Anyway, are we all itching to get on with the rest of the season now after seeing the mid-season trailer all week? Bless their cottons.
Anway, here is my filler for Palnet of the Ood, I hope you enjoy and will let me know what you think by reviewing. Ta very muchly!
Planet of the Ood
"So there are lots of different songs for different situations then?" Donna asked as she and the Doctor strolled down the corridor of the TARDIS.
"Yup, a song for every occasion. Weddings, bar mitzvahs, Christmas."
Donna snorted. "I meant; they have songs for different parts of their life, different emotions?"
"Everyone does in a way, even you. Just not everyone can hear them."
"But you can all the time, right?"
"Yup," he popped the 'p'.
"Doesn't that drive you mad?"
"Never known anything else. It's part of being a Time Lord."
"What did he mean when he said that your song must end soon? Which song?"
"Don't know," he shrugged.
"And you didn't want to ask?"
"I did, he said every song must end."
"That's not an answer though is it? He didn't mean you were going to die or anything?"
"Who knows? There are many different songs that make up a life Donna. Its like, when you pass someone in the street and the air they give off leaves you in no doubt how they're feeling. That's you hearing their song, you just don't realise it."
Donna nodded. "That's sort of mental. So what were you really doing last time you met the Ood?"
"We landed on this space station," he stopped and gazed at the ceiling as if trying to recall every detail. "Right on the edge of a black whole, the planet was just orbiting round it, which by the way is supposed to be impossible but there we were. As usual it all goes wrong and we lose the TARDIS into the planet during an earth tremor. So there we were, stuck in the middle of a nightmare, no way out and hundreds of years from Earth…."
"We?"
"Sorry?"
"You keep saying 'we'? Who's 'we'?"
His eyes dulled a little. "Rose. It was me and Rose."
"Oh. Right, hundreds of years from earth…" she prompted.
"Yes, no way home, no way to talk to her mum. I'd promised her mum I would always take her home and when I told her I couldn't keep that promise, do you know what she said? Everyone leaves home in the end. I think I was more worried than her for the most part. Anyway, turns out there's this creature buried in the centre of the planet, just dying to get free and he begins to control the Ood using the telepathic field. They went berserk, chased Rose and the others all round the base. I was pretty lucky, by this point I'd gone down into a hole that stopped at the centre of the planet. Then we were really in trouble. The lift cable snapped, I got stuck on the planet with one of the crew and lost contact with Rose and the others, and we were fast running out of air. I thought we'd had it. Anyway, long story short; I find this creature, who by the way really said he was the Devil, made sure he stays trapped on the planet only when I did that the planet lost orbit and started plummeting into the black hole. Found the TARDIS and saved everyone that could be saved. The Ood weren't among them. There wasn't enough time, even for a Time Lord."
"A Time Lord who runs out of time? That's ironic."
"Mmm, seems to happen quite a lot these days. That thing was right about something though, all the taunting about our fears. I told them just to ignore it but he said it would happen and it did."
"What did?"
"I'll never forget that for as long as I live. I didn't believe him; I told her he was just trying to scare her. He said she was 'the lost girl, so far away from home. The valiant child, who will die in battle so very soon.'"
"But you said she wasn't dead."
"She isn't really. But officially, if you look for a record of her, she died in the battle at Canary Wharf, just a few weeks after."
"Then he was wrong."
"She isn't here though is she? To everyone but me she's dead. Everyone who knew her now thinks she and her mum were murdered with everyone else, so in a way, he was right. He said she'd die in battle and she did. But I couldn't save the Ood," he abruptly took the conversation back to its original point. "And I was so concerned about that black hole and my friend that I didn't even stop to wonder where they were from."
"Well, it kind of stands to reason if you've got the Devil living in the flat below."
The Doctor gave her a half smile and shrugged. "Maybe Sigma's right, maybe my song is about to end."
"So which song would you like to end?"
"Sorry?"
"Well if we all sing different songs for different things, which one would you like to end?"
"Every one of your songs is a part of you, why would you want any part of that to end?"
"Because it hurts? Because it makes us feel less than brilliant, like something is missing. Why would you want to hold on to that?"
"Because without those songs you might not be the person you are. You might become less than you should be."
Donna just smiled sadly. "Or maybe, just maybe, you don't really want it to end because you'd feel like you'd forgotten."
"Forgotten what?"
"What ever started the song in the first place. There's so much life in you. I look and you and I see so many things; a kid at Christmas, an excited scientist. Someone completely bonkers and giddy but do you know what I don't often see?"
The Doctor frowned. Donna was far smarter than he'd ever really thought to give her credit for, which was one of the reasons he liked her. She was so normal and so human.
"You being really happy. I don't think I've ever seen you happy for more than a few moments at a time. It's like you catch yourself being glad for something and you stop. I couldn't live like that."
"That's why you're human, Donna."
"And thank God for that! Being inside your brain would wear me out in ten seconds flat!" she exclaimed, giving him a nudge, lightening the mood that she realised she'd just created.
"Hmm, you inside my brain? That is a dangerous notion, and hopefully one that will never be put to the test!"
"I'm quite happy in mine thank you. Tell ya what; I could murder a cup of tea. Fancy it?"
"Nah, I'm alright thanks. Think I might check on how many more of those recall messages have been received."
"Suit yourself. I'm gona have a nice warm cuppa and explore a bit more."
The Doctor nodded. "Don't get lost!" he told her with a smile before returning the way they had come, back to the control room.
Donna sighed and rolled her eyes before heading to the kitchen. For a smart being, he really did like to play dumb.
XxXxX
Flopping down onto her bed, Donna looked over at her c.d collection.
"Life songs hmmm? What would I pick? God knows, too many songs out there. 'Lady in red' is the obvious but that's really a boring choice if you've got no one to dance with." She looked around her as she realised she was talking to herself aloud. "And I'm going as barmy as him!"
Sighing she moved over to her c.d's and began to scan the backs of them, looking for songs that might mean something to her.
One single she'd bought on a whim a long while ago now, she almost laughed at the thought. Someone her age going out and buying a single like that, then she read the lyrics on the inside sleeve.
She carefully put the disc into her player and hit play. It was such a sad song really but it had a hint of hope to it when she really listened. She must have been seriously depressed when she bought it.
'And maybe, I'll find out
A way to make it back someday
To watch you, to guide you
Through the darkest of your days
If a great wave shall fall and fall upon us all
Then I hope there's someone out there
Who can bring me back to you.'
Donna smiled to herself. She'd never met her and was never likely to, she didn't even know what she looked like but she could just imagine this as the Doctor and Rose's song. If life songs had lyrics, she would put this right up there in the possible 'perfect match' section.
'Run away with my heart
Run away with my hope
Run away with my love
I know now, just quite how
My life and love might still go on
In your heart, in your mind
I'll stay with you for all of time
If I could, then I would
I'll go wherever you will go
Way up high or down low
I'll go wherever you will go.'
Yup, that would definitely be the song she'd choose for them, well Rose anyway. She knew Rose was younger than her, she could tell that from the little he said about her. Maybe something a little more subdued for his side of the song, a little more mature?
She'd never really thought of herself as an old romantic but today she was feeling very soppy. She'd had her fair share of doomed relationships. Lance was a prime example. Granted not all of them were only marrying her to hand her over to an alien that he had a questionable relationship with, but they were all weird or just plain wrong in their own ways.
Moving along her shelf she looked for something that screamed 'Doctor'. She almost laughed out loud when she spotted it. Placing the next c.d into the player she knew just which track to pick.
It was such a short song but it was so simple in its content that Donna could just see him almost singing it quietly to himself while no one else was around.
'I am glad
At least in my life
I've found someone
That may not be here forever
To see me through
But I found my strength in you
'Cause in my mind
You will stay here always
In love, you and I
You and I, you and I
You and I
In my mind
We can conquer the world
In love, you and I
You and I, you and I'
The Doctor had loved this Rose, really loved her. Donna had figured that out on their first meeting, you'd have to be blind, deaf and a complete imbecile not to know the truth, even if he never admitted it. She just hoped one day he would realise he could still enjoy himself without feeling guilty. That smiling didn't mean forgetting.
Hitting eject on her player, Donna reached for something that would definitely make her smile.
'Do I attract you,
Do I repulse you with my queezy smile?
Am I to flirty, am I to dirty,
Do I like what you like?
I can be wholesome,
I can be loathsome,
Just I'm a little bit shy
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like without out making me try?'
She danced around the room with pure abandon, rapidly cheering herself up as she went. She used to do it as a child and it still worked.
"Donna?" the Doctor's voice filtered through the music.
She stopped dead and looked round at him.
"I did knock, a few times," he barely hid his smile. "Having fun?"
"Upping my mood," Donna explained a little breathless, hitting pause on her c.d.
"Just wanted to make sure you realised not all songs have meaning."
"Really?"
"Really."
"Name one."
"Name one what?"
"A song that doesn't have any meaning."
"Oh, well…."
"You can't can you?" she smirked.
"Yes I can."
"Oh really?"
"Yup, 'Agadoo'."
"Sorry?"
"You know, 'Agadoo'. It gets played at children's parties. I mean why would you push a pineapple or shake a tree? Makes absolutely no sense what-so-ever."
Donna regarded him for a moment and wondered how he'd react if she told him that that song did, indeed have a meaning and it wasn't innocent. "Fine, I'll give you that one," she said finally, deciding to let him win.
The Doctor grinned as she pressed play.
'I can be brown,
I can be blue,
I can be violet sky,
I can be hurtful,
I can be purple,
I can be anything you like,
Gotta be green,
Gotta be mean,
Gotta be everything more,
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you like me?
Why don't you walk out the door?'
"So you gona dance with me?" Donna asked as the Doctor continued to hover in her doorway.
"Think I'll pass thanks, but you carry on."
"Then what you hovering there for?"
"Well I was going to ask if you wanted that cuppa."
"Already had one thanks."
"Oh, right, fair enough." His eyes slid to the right and he shoved his hands deeper into his pockets.
Donna smirked, waiting for him to scuff the carpet with the toe of his shoe like a child. "Come on. Tea I've already done but I'm sure there's something in that kitchen of yours that's more attractive."
"How about ice cream?"
"Oh, now you're talking! What are we waiting for? Lead on!" she took his arm and tugged him down the corridor, all the while singing along to the rest of the track before it ended.
XxXxX
A/n: There you have it folks! Off to update Brother Jack now. Enjoy tonights episode, wonder how it will compare to my normal days work! (working in a library in case you didn't know) And don't forget to review!